Maserati 250S by Fantuzi
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Car producer : |
Maserati |
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Model: |
250S by Fantuzi |
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Year: |
1957-1958 |
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Type: |
Roadster |
Maserati 200S were twenty-eight racing cars made by Maserati of Italy, to take over for the aging Maserati A6 GCS racing variants.
The Tipo 52 development started in 1952, led by Giulio Alfieri. The car had a 1994.3 cc inline-four cylinder light-alloy engine, dual OHV per cylinder and DOHC camshafts, double Weber 50DCO3 (first few cars only) or 45DCO3 carburetors. It output 190 PS (140 kW; 187hp) at 7500 rpm. Many chassis components were identical to the Maserati 150S, except the rigid rear axle inherited from the Maserati A6.
Maserati made the first three chassis internally, but outsourced a tubular chassis to Gilco. The first five aluminum bodies were, as for the Maserati 150S, by Celestino Fiandri, and the 23 final by Medardo Fantuzzi.
No wins were seen in its first year of 1955, first by Franco Bordoni at the 1955 San Marino Grand Prix, followed by Giovanni Bracco and Bordoni at the 1955 Targa Florio. Driver Benoît Nicolas Musy died in a 200S at 'Aerodromes de Montlhéry, France (1956). In 1957 the name was changed to Maserati 200SI, Sport Internazionale, to signify its conformance to international sports car racing rules. In 1958 the engine was made bigger (2.5 litres) and the car was named as 250S. The car scored a resounding victory with Stirling Moss at the wheel during the 1956 Trofeo Supercortemaggiore. He beat four Ferrari 500TRs and described the car as “very quick on twisty circuits” and “handled really nicely”.
Some of the most brilliant and revered thoroughbreds to emerge from Maserati’s stable during the 1950s were the company’s four-cylinder sports racers, which debuted in 1955. Like Porsche, Maserati took note that the 1.5-litre sports car class lacked significant competition from any manufacturers other than OSCA, so the Tipo 53 project was commissioned utilizing the 4CF2 engine, which displaced just under 1,500 cubic centimeters. In due course, the motor was enlarged to displace two litres for the succeeding 200S and 200SI models, and though both cars showed much promise in their duels with Ferrari’s TRCs, Maserati was increasingly preoccupied with its 300S six-cylinder sports racer.
Nevertheless, at the Buenos Aires 1000 km on 20 January 1957, a new development of the four-cylinder car appeared during practice. Featuring a version of the 200SI’s engine that was further bored to 2,489 cubic centimeters, the so-called 250S caused quite a stir when Juan Manual Fangio drove it in practice to some of the day’s best lap times, even besting Ferrari’s 3.5-litre V-12 cars. Despite the strong showing, the 250S was deemed to still require further development before properly entering a race. Unfortunately, that plan increasingly fell by the wayside as the 300S dominated the year’s agenda, and Maserati eventually cancelled their race programme altogether following the 1957 season. As a result, only four examples of the sensational 250S were ever built, with three of the four cars featuring enlarged versions of engines that originally displaced two-litres.
